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I love the idea that Mother Nature has provided us the cure to most ailments, we’ve just got to discover them. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, an American develops the disease every 68 seconds. In 2050, an American will be affected every 33 seconds. If you’re born in 1985 like me, this means our generation will be 65 by 2050, the age where a lot of Americans are affected by this degenerative disease. My grandmother was affected by Alzheimer’s at the end of her life and as there is yet a cure to be discovered, I figured why not eat the foods that are believed to help ward it off the disease JUST IN CASE. I like to think in preventative measures when it comes to aging (wrinkles included).

Turmeric or curcumin, has long been used in Ayurvedic medicine. You can google “the health benefits of turmeric” and a plethora of articles will be available to you. I highly recommend that you take some time to read these articles because it’s really eye-opening what this spice can do. What I found on WebMD is that turmeric works an anti-inflammatory within the body. Therefore, it is believed that it can help with ailments such as arthritis, heartburn, gallbladder problems, bloating, headaches, colds, depression, water retention, menstrual problems, cancer and many more. What we don’t realize is that a lot of cancers and diseases are caused by chronic inflammation in our bodies which is why we need to eat foods that reduce internal inflammation. Without getting side tracked, this is a good article on what foods to avoid if you are wondering what causes inflammation within the body.

What I ALSO love about turmeric is it’s beautification properties!! Hello!? How amazing is this spice???

Image from A STYLd LIFE

It can literally help you get gorgeous glowing skin while fighting wrinkles. Turmeric is chock-full of anti-bacterial, anti-inflammation properties which will treat your skin/acne from the inside out. You can also easily make some at home masks applying turmeric directly on the skin. A warning about this: if you decide to try it, use an old wash cloth as the turmeric will stain whatever it comes into contact with. Liz Marie, from the LizMarieblog has an excellent blog post on making your own turmeric mask step-by-step at home, check it out!

What can you do to start incorporating turmeric into your diet? What I’ve been doing is sprinkling it on my lunches and dinners so I’m eating it without even realizing it. I like to add it to quinoa, kale, salads, scrambled eggs, chicken, veggie dishes basically anything! Without making a curry, you can just add a teaspoon to most dishes and you won’t even notice a taste.

If you want some recipes to start incorporate turmeric into your diet, here are some good recipes: